Disclaimer – I do NOT own Harry Potter.

THERE IS NO CHO IN THIS STORY

Chapter 1 – Haste kills all the joy

Story starts after the 1st task in the triwizard tournament. Everyone is trying to find dates for the Yule ball.

"Harry, can I borrow your jumper?"

"Yeah, sure Nat, it's on the couch by the fire."

"Thanks."

Nat took Harry's jumper, put it on, waved Ron, Hermione and Harry goodbye, and made for the portrait hole.

As she left the common room,

"You better get a move on you know. She's one of the best looking girls in our year. If you don't hurry up and ask her, she'll already be taken."

"Yeah I know Ron."

"Ron's right Harry. Besides, I won't be surprised if she's already got a date. As far as I know, about 7 guys have asked her since the announcement of the ball."

"Thanks Hermione, that makes me feel so much better."

Meanwhile, in the owlery,

"There, have a good flight now." Cedric said as he attached the letter to his barn owl's foot. It took off with a great rustle of wings and his eyes followed it as it flew out of the window took a right turn and flew off towards the mountains.

"Hey Cedric."

"Hello Natalie."

Nat smiled and made her way towards the owl's perches. She called one of the school owls down and attached her letter to its feet. She turned to leave when her owl had taken off. Meanwhile, Cedric was eyeing the jumper she was wearing. He had seen that before. And then he saw the small "HP" letters stitched on its back. He felt a little depressed after that.

"Hey Nat," He said before she left. "Isn't that Harry's jumper?"

"Yeah, I borrowed it. I can't find mine and its cold out here."

"Oh."

"Well then, bye Cedric."

"Hey Nat, wait!"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Nat was taken by surprise.

"Well,"

She was expecting Harry to have asked her. But she didn't count on it, especially after that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff girl had asked him before her own eyes. He had said no of course. But, he was a school champion and loads of other girls would have asked him already. Especially after the way he tackled that horntail.

"Alright then. I'll go with you."

"Great. Well, urm."

"See you later Cedric. Bye."

"Bye."

Cedric felt more elated than he had been all week. He sped into the Hufflepuff common room and heard a few other girls hurriedly asking him for the ball as though asking slowly was punishable by the law. He grinned and shouted at all of them, "I'm already going with someone.", and watched their disappointed forms sulking to each another and whispering urgently. Definitely about whom Cedric asked to the ball.

Natalie entered the common room only to find it empty except for Ron Harry and Hermione. That was odd. It was a Saturday morning and surely no one would be at breakfast so late. She walked over to them and slumped onto the armchair, warming her hands and face.

"What's up?" she asked them.

"Nothing much." They chorused.

Natalie nodded and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of warmth from the fire. Ron gave Harry a fleeting look and he and Hermione made their way to the portrait hole, saying something about getting something else to eat.

Harry turned to look at Natalie. She looked like an angel, with her eyes closed and head thrown back. Her deep black hair all over the place. She still had his jumper on. That gave him the courage to ask her.

"Nat,"

Natalie opened her eyes and turned slightly pink when she noticed that she was alone with Harry in the common room.

"Yeah Harry?"

"Wangoballwifme?" (A/N that's from the book.)

"Sorry, I didn't really catch that."

"Sorry. Do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Natalie suddenly hated herself. If only she didn't say yes to Cedric, thinking that Harry already had a date for the ball. She turned abruptly to face the fire. Her eyes became watery, and it had nothing to do with the now stinging heat of the fire. Before she turned to answer him, Harry already knew what was coming.

"It's okay. You probably have another date for the ball."

"Harry, I'm really sorry. He just asked me this morning and, well,"

"It's alright."

But he knew it was not alright. If only he had asked her earlier, just this morning, when he had seen her during breakfast or in the common room. He couldn't help himself.

"Who?"

"Sorry Harry?"

"Who're you going with?"

"Oh, Cedric Diggory."

And his angry feeling with himself transferred over to Cedric, although he knew it wasn't his fault that he managed to ask Nat first. Stupid pretty boy Diggory. Harry walked off to find Ron and Hermione, leaving Nat alone in the common room, feeling worse than she had been in ages.

"This is all my fault." She shouted to the empty common room, her eyes stinging with tears. Haste kills all the joy.